Meeting her Excellency, the Governor General of Canada

It has been a full week, to say the least. I really should have been blogging every day since Wednesday, but I will try to sum everything up in this post (so it may be a bit long - get yourself a hot chocolate and a warm blanket, here we go! - ha).

Anyway, I will begin with the most obvious ... I spoke with the Governor General today. (For those non-Canadians out there, the GG is appointed every 4-5 years to stand as the Queen's representative here in Canada. She officially has more powers than the Prime Minister, but rarely uses them. Mostly, she travels around handing out awards to outstanding Canadians, and also entertains dignitaries who come to Canada on official business). Anyhow, I had heard that she was going to be in town today at her residence in Vieux Québec, so I invited Sarah and Ashley to come with me to see her. I have always wanted to meet the GG, but never had the chance in Vancouver/Sask. After getting completely lost somewhere on the Plains of Abraham in the rain and wind, walking up and down hundreds of stairs and climbing battlefields for about 45 minutes, we finally found the GG's residence. We walked inside, and knowing we were late, I was sure we had missed her speech and everything. We got a tour of the dining room, and then we went upstairs to the ball room where there were displays of the GG's work all over Canada and the world. We went into a smaller sun room to sign a giant banner that was to be sent to our troops in Afghanistan. We continued on back into the ball room, which isn't very big at all - maybe 80 people were in there - squished together. We couldn't figure out why so many TV cameras were converging on a smaller group of people in the middle of the room, so Sarah got a little closer. She said, "I think she's HERE" ("She" being the Governor General). And there she was, in the middle of the room, talking to all the visitors. She had two tall men in uniforms beside her and two older women in red suits acting as 'social directors', kind of guiding her to who she could talk to next.

We stood nearby for about 3 minutes when one of the red coat ladies said (in French), "There are some young ladies waiting patiently here to speak to you, your Excellency." She approached us, and said hello in English, then switched back to French when she figured out we understood her. She asked us where we were from, and I think I said Vancouver :) . Sarah did most of the talking, and told the GG that we were in a French political science program back home in Vancouver, and that we were here for a year to study at Laval (well, Ashley and Sarah are in that program, I was too nervous to tell her I was in another program ... small detail she probably would soon forget anyway). She said that she had noticed on a recent trip to BC that there were so many people there wanting to learn French, and she thought that was wonderful. We must have said something else, but I was a little starstruck to remember what it was - ha. We did ask to have our picture taken with her, but she said no because it would cause a bottleneck in the 'receiving line' of sorts. Her red-coat assistant said it was OK for us to take pictures of her as the GG "moved around" - so we did ... lots, in search of that elusive perfect photo. I felt bad using the flash in her face, but I guess she must be used to it.

Shortly thereafter, she and her husband made short speeches welcoming us into their home and outlining what events were happening there during Québec's 400th anniversary. When that was over, we made our way out, but not before coming upon a room that was serving free refreshments. There were freshly picked apples, dried apple rings with chocolate, honey and chai tea spices, and freshly squeezed apple juice - I think the apples were from the gardens at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. It was the coolest accidental meeting ever - it will be a long time before I forget today. :) She was such a warm person - she seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say, and she chatted with us like any normal person would at a dinner party. Some visitors from Columbia were introduced to her, and she began chatting with them fluently in Spanish. After she moved on from us, she saw a small child, and said, "I saw that cute little face across the room, and I had to come see him!" Then the baby began to cry, but the GG laughed and spoke sympathetically to the baby's mother.

As we were walking around the house, and before we even knew we would see the GG at all, my friends and I were discussing how lucky we were to live in a country where our government buildings are open to the general public, and without intense, obtrusive security at that (although I am sure that there were as many security and staff there today as there were guests, but most of them smiled, talked with you and were there mostly to make sure you had a great time with the GG). It got me to thinking a bit about Christ, especially when we were in the crowd vying for a chance to even see the GG face to face: kind of like those friends of that paralytic in the Bible who did everything they could to bring their friend to Jesus for healing, and eventually cut a hole in the roof to lower their friend right into Christ's presence. Now the GG is no Saviour, of course, but she is essentially the highest ranking Canadian; yet, we were invited to her house, she listened to us, and she let us stay and enjoy just being in her home (with food and everything!). God is not obliged to even give us the time of day, but He welcomes us anyway; He listens to our requests and praise even when we must seem awkward and less revering than we should; He shares His wealth with us in food, shelter, etc. Having grown up in late 20th century North America, I can't say I fully understand the kingly analogies in the Bible that explain God's majesty and position over us, but for a few minutes today, I started to "get it." It was a great object lesson I will never forget.

On second thought, I will explain my birthday and other things of the week in another blog entry. Too much to say ... in a good way. :) Miss you all - talk to you soon.

KNL